Stolen Hearts (The Stolen Series Book 3)

by Renee Harless

  My eyes close on their own accord as I slither farther into the depths of the tub and let the water rest just below my chin. Behind my lids, I relive my moments with Hunter; the moments that he brought my body to life and sent me over the edge unlike any lover had done before.

  Fingers slip around my nipples the same way that Hunter had paid them attention. His lips followed a trail from my breasts down toward my center and I follow the same path with my hand. My body jerks as I slip my fingers across my slit, soaked from my own pleasure. I circle my fingers around my clit, groaning as my body responds. Hunter’s face and body play at the forefront of my mind as I pleasure myself in the cooling water. My breath comes in pants as I remember the way he worshipped me that one night.

  The peak is in my reach and I quicken my pace to reach it until a shrilling noise sounds in the room and my spell is broken.

  “Dammit,” I groan as my phone continues to ring. Once the sound stops, I try to bring myself back into the moment, but it’s long since gone. In my frustration, I duck my head deep into the water and hold my breath as long as possible until my lungs protest and I splash up out of the water.

  Even at the late hour, I know that I won’t be able to sleep for a long while, especially with my aggravation at my missed orgasm.

  I dry my body and towel off my hair enough so that I can toss it in a braid before I climb into bed with my e-reader. I check my phone absentmindedly but I don’t recognize the number and ignore it, even though I’m sure it’s one of my family members trying to find me again.

  Finally, just as the sun peeks over the horizon, my eyes grow heavy and I toss my tablet aside and snuggle deep under my covers. I pray that I’m plagued again by my visions of Hunter, but instead, the first thing that comes to my mind is the life I left behind eight years ago.

  The bat swings toward me as I scurry away from the screaming man – the man that I used to call my father. I’ve never felt terror like this before. Not when I was locked in my closet by accident for twelve hours until our maid found me crying in the corner. Not when I was pushed out of the moving car by my father onto the main highway of our town. Not even when I learned that I was the product of an affair. My Senator father’s rage was focused on me as if it were my fault.

  The bat collides with my arm, and I can feel the sharpness of the pain as the bone breaks in two.

  “Dad, stop it! Please!” I scream in agony.

  “Don’t call me that. I’m not your father. You’re a parasite on this family and if your mother won’t get rid of you I will myself.”

  “Please!” I shout again as I cower in the corner as another swing aims for my head. But instead of colliding with me he misses in his drunken state and lodges the bat in the wall.

  My legs scramble from beneath me and I duck past the angry man that is now a stranger to me and I hurry toward the front door. I grab my backpack stuffed with some overnight clothes that I had packed to stay with a friend for the weekend and shove my body out of the house as fast as my legs will take me.

  I run toward the house at the corner of the neighborhood and bang on the door of the elderly couple clutching my arm to my chest. The door opens with a whoosh.

  “Help me,” I cry as I collapse on the threshold.

  I wake with a start, my body shaking and my breaths coming fast wishing I could run away from my dreams the same way I was able to run away from my family.

  Staring at my phone, I toss out a text to Chaz canceling our date for tonight. My mind is going to be wrapped into my memories for the next few days. Knowing I won’t be getting any more sleep I slip from the bed and throw on my tennis shoes to go for a run, hoping, praying, that I can keep my mind clear for at least a few hours.

  Chapter Three – Hunter

  THE FILE CABINET SLAMS from the weight of my push. I’ve gone through seven interviews for a bookkeeper and office manager in the last two days, and I’m completely fed up. I’m not sure why these applicants feel that they are a good fit; it’s beyond me. Hell, one even admitted that they had stolen from their last place of employment. The others had zero experience with accounting or never worked in an office environment before.

  Turning away from the cabinet, I stalk my way to my desk and sit in my chair with my frustration building. Grabbing the computer mouse, I bring the monitor to life and prompt the next round of applicants from the agency to print.

  The first two applications print out with no trouble then the printer alerts me that it’s out of paper. Moving toward the shelf for the supplies I groan when I notice that we’re out of almost everything.

  I grab my cell phone from my back pocket and dial both Jackson’s and Cooper’s number, and not surprisingly, neither of my cousins answers.

  Just one more thing I need to take care of.

  My keys cut into my palm as I grip them within my pocket as I lock the door to the warehouse and hop into my truck. My anger is boiling to such an extreme that I don’t even bother to turn on the radio.

  By the time I arrive at the big box store, my irritation has only diminished slightly. The reverberation from the door slamming beneath my hand sends waves up my arm, which only angers me further.

  I’m pretty much a grumpy bastard as I stomp into the store and grab a cart heading directly for the area of the store that sells office supplies. I stuff the cart full of paper, pens and pencils, and printer ink before I turn and head toward the grocery area to grab some bottles of water to keep in stock at the office.

  I’m chucking a few cartons of water under my cart when I peer over the cart and my gaze collides with a beautiful woman standing on her tiptoes, reaching for a bag on the top shelf. My mood instantly flips as my cock jerks in recognition.

  Taylor.

  I stare in awe as her shirt rides up above the waistband of her denim shorts, showing me just a sliver of the fair skin of her stomach. Skin that I can still taste on my tongue. Just a hint of salt from the mixed sweat of our bodies.

  Breaking free from my stupor, I roll my cart toward her silently counting down from 100 to force my erection to go down. She doesn’t hear me approach and I bite back a chuckle as she attempts to stand on one of the metal shelves to gain some extra height to grab the bag still out of her reach.

  I stand behind her body and she immediately stiffens as I lean my chest and hips against her back and grab the bag she had been trying to snag.

  “Hunter,” she whispers without turning around as I toss the bag into her cart without moving from my placement against her.

  God, my body yearns for her the same way it had that night, a craving I had absolutely zero control over. I wasn’t far off from hoisting her over my shoulder and chaining her to my bed for eternity. Or at least until I got her out of my system.

  “Good afternoon, Taylor,” I whisper against her ear and slip my hand under the edge of her shirt, sliding my fingers against her bare skin loving the way that she shivers beneath my touch. It’s addicting the way that she reacts to me. I’ve had one taste and I’m not sure it will ever be enough.

  Finally getting her wits about her, she steps off of the shelf and turns around forcing me to take a step back.

  “I’m surprised to see you here.”

  Running my hand through my hair, I explain, “Yeah, I needed to pick up some supplies and this was the closest to the office.”

  “Oh, that makes sense,” she adds as if she never considered that my business would have an actual office. “Well,” she says awkwardly, “it was good to see you. Tell your family I said hello.”

  I watch as she turns and walks away with her cart gripped tightly in her grasp and my chest aches at the thought of missing an opportunity.

  “Go out with me,” I shout, causing her to turn her head with a shocked expression. Her large eyes are bright and curious and her plump lips are apart.

  “What?”

  “Go out with me. Lunch? Dinner? Now? Take your pick.”

  “Why would you want to go out with me?” she q
uestions inquisitively.

  “Because I like you. We’re good together.”

  “You only know how we are in bed together,” she argues. And damn if I can’t fight that argument.

  “True. At least we know that we have that part to look forward to.”

  “Hunter. . .I’m not sure. . .”

  “Please?”

  She pauses for a minute and I watch as she contemplates her next move. It is the anticipation of being turned down by this gorgeous woman that has afflicted my dreams for weeks that is tormenting me.

  “I have always been a sucker for good manners. Fine,” she agrees, and a smile widens on my face pinching my cheeks. I don’t think I’ve grinned this hard since I was five and got the bike I asked for from Santa Claus. “Lunch, now, if you’re free. I’m just picking up a few things.”

  “Lunch sounds good. I can drive behind you.”

  As I follow Taylor out of the store, I immediately stop by her car and load her items into her trunk as she watches on with a surprised expression on her face, as if she’s never had anyone do something for her without being asked.

  “Thanks,” she mumbles as she ducks into the driver’s seat of her car. “Does the New York Sandwich Shop sound good to you?”

  “Perfect, I’ll meet you there.”

  Loading up my truck with my purchases, I maneuver my vehicle into traffic and drive the fifteen minutes to the sandwich shop, arriving at the same time as Taylor. I jump from my truck and pry open her door for her, earning myself another shocked smile.

  Inside we order our sandwiches and stand in line waiting for them to be wrapped up.

  “I can pay for mine,” she suggests, and I cock my brow at her as she pulls her wallet free from her purse.

  “I asked you out, I’ll pay. Put your wallet away.”

  “Hunter. . .”

  “Taylor,” I copy her tone with her name, “go pick a table while I grab these and our drinks.”

  I can hear her muffled harrumph as she steers between the tables toward a booth in the back corner and I watch as her hips sway with each step, drawing every man’s attention in the room.

  “Sir? Your change,” the cashier repeats breaking me free from my Taylor infused trance.

  “Thanks,” I reply as I grab our cups and sandwiches. At the table, I ask Taylor what she’d like to drink and then return with our sodas.

  “So. . .” I begin as I watch her delicate fingers unfold the paper wrapped around the sandwich. “Tell me a little bit about you.”

  “I’m probably exactly what you heard about from your family. I’m sure they told you something.” Taylor takes a hearty bite of her sandwich as she ignores my question.

  “Nope, I never asked. All I know is that you’re an event planner.”

  “Was.”

  “Huh?” I ask in confusion as I unwrap my own sandwich.

  “Was an event planner. Kerry, my boss, had to go visit her family for an extended period of time so right now I’m searching for a new job.”

  “Have you had any luck?”

  “Not yet. I may have to look farther out. I’ve been thinking about moving to a new area, a place I’ve never been to before. I don’t like to settle in one spot for too long.”

  Hearing her speak about moving causes my chest to pang in fear. How can she think of moving away when all I can think about is getting her to stay?

  “Well, I think you should just continue looking. I hope you find something soon, but I’d hate to see you move.”

  “Why is that?” she questions. “You barely know me.”

  “Oh, I know enough,” I tell her with a wink, implying our night together as I take a gigantic bite of my sandwich, devouring a full half of the meaty monstrosity.

  “Okay then, tell me about you Hunter Divers. What makes you, you? How did you start your business?”

  “Well, you know that I come from a close family. Jackson and Cooper have been like brothers to me since we were little. I am an only child and our mothers have always been very close, so it was natural that we were, too. When I graduated from college, I brought the idea up to them to co-own a landscaping design business, something for them to invest in. It was a gamble but we’ve been lucky that it’s taken off the way it has. I’m looking to hire some more hands as we speak.”

  “That’s impressive.”

  “Thanks. I work my ass off, so it’s nice when things finally pay off. Not quite there yet, but soon.”

  Taylor reaches for her drink and puckers those plump lips around the straw and I find myself reaching down and adjusting my jeans to accommodate my stiffening cock. Damn, I want to see those lips wrap around my dick again.

  “Tell me something about you that no one knows,” she requests with a sultry grin growing across her mouth.

  I take my time to contemplate my answer; at least, that’s what I make her believe as I rest my hand on my chin.

  “Something that no one knows,” I begin as I lean across the table and gesture for her to do the same. Her eyes sparkle with excitement at the thought of learning a secret about me. My lips brush against her ear as I speak. “Is that I desperately want to taste you again and feel your pussy squeeze my cock. It’s all I’ve thought about for weeks.”

  I suppress the urge to taste the rim of her ear. Instead, I fall back in my chair and watch the redness grow across her cheeks as her body heats. Taylor leans back in her chair; her eyes pinned on me as she shifts in her seat, pressing her thighs together to stem the ache between her legs.

  A buzzing sounds from her bag, but she’s so distracted that she doesn’t notice.

  “Taylor?” I prompt, but she continues to stare at me in awe, or embarrassment; I’m not quite sure which one. “Taylor, your phone is ringing.”

  “What?” she asks, breaking free from her stupor. “Oh!” Reaching into her bag, she blindly accepts the call.

  “Hello?”

  Ignoring the one-sided conversation, I finish off my sandwich and open my bag of chips, but as I take the first bite, I notice the tears welling in Taylor’s eyes, and I finally eavesdrop.

  “What do you mean? I haven’t spoken to my family or sister in eight years how would they know. . . Okay, yes, I can be there in about twenty minutes. Thanks.”

  She ends the call and gazes at me blindly, a mixture of terror and dread swirling in her eyes as her body convulses in tiny shakes.

  “Taylor, are you okay? What can I do?” I offer; my lunch long forgotten.

  “I. . . uh. . .I need to go to the hospital. My sister, um, my sister was in a terrible car accident and asked for me.” She stands slowly, reaching for her keys, but I know that she’s not capable of driving right now. Even if we had never had a heated night together, I would never let her drive herself to the hospital after learning that her sister was hurt.

  “Hand me your keys, sweetheart. I’ll drive you.”

  “Um, that’s okay,” she replies quietly as she fishes in her bag for her keys.

  “Please, Taylor. Let me drive you. I’d rather get you there safely. I can have one of my cousins pick up my truck. Please?”

  “Okay,” she whispers without another fight and she follows me out of the shop after I throw away the remainder of our lunch.

  The trip to the hospital is arduous with the aching silence palpable in the small car. Taylor sits in the passenger seat curled into herself, looking so much more like the twenty-four-year-old that she is instead of the strong woman she wants everyone to see. I’ve never felt the desire to comfort someone so much before, to hold someone in my arms with the hope that I can take on their pain. And Taylor has so much pain, she’s sinking in it.

  I don’t question her as she rushes into the hospital, leaving me to park the car and wait in the crowded waiting room, but I’m here for her, when she’s ready.

  Texting Jackson and Cooper, I let them know about the call and how I need one of them to take my truck back to my shop. I tell them that I’m not sure of the details, just that
Taylor’s sister is hurt and in the hospital and that she was summoned by request.

  I ponder for a moment the look of fear on Taylor’s face at the mention of her family. There is something more there, something that she’s hiding and keeping tucked away.

  In the corner of the room, I notice a television replaying a car chase from earlier in the day. The pursuit ended in a fatal accident where the car rolled several times. I cringe as I watch the distorted pieces of metal being cut away by the Jaws of Life; I’m riveted to the screen. The camera cuts away as two individuals are pulled from the vehicle, their bodies placed on stretchers and ushered into the awaiting ambulances. But when a third body is pulled out, one the size of a child, my heart begins to pound inside my chest. The blood coursing through my veins blocks the sounds around me; all I hear is the whooshing of my pulse. The camera zooms in as the small unharmed child reaches up and hugs the firefighter holding her tightly and my relief at the scene floors me.

  Around me I notice the other onlookers sagging in their chairs in respite as well. Despite the harrowing incident, the brightness of hope shines through. I send a silent prayer to the heavens that the child can live a happy and fulfilling life with his or her parents.

  “Mr. Divers?” A nurse calls out and I spin in my chair anxious to hear about Taylor and her sister.

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “Your fiancée is requesting you join her.”

  Fiancée?

  Well, things just got interesting

  Chapter Four – Taylor

  I’VE NEVER BEEN A fan of hospitals. The last time I was in one was when the nice elderly neighbor up the street from me took me to the emergency room to have a cast placed on my arm after running for my life. They told me I needed to wear it for six weeks. That was the last time I saw or stepped foot in a hospital.

  I remember sitting at a bus station two months later and saw an auto shop across the street. In the dead of night, I broke in and found a saw to remove the cast myself. I was lucky that I didn’t do any damage to my arm as I removed it.